In the modern scientific inquiry, one finds that Nature & Spirituality though assumed to be contrastive are have factually more in common than we believe.
Before the Abrahamic religions made sense of “God” or the “Power”, people were more inclined to worship nature & its elements. Right from Indra (God of Heaven & Thunder – India), Poseidon (God of Sea, Horses, Storms) etc. Every culture used to worship a form of nature in one way or the other.
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
Anything which affects a human being & which is not in a material format, having a positive connotation of religion can be defined as Spirituality. In simple language a path to “God” or “Positive Energy” depending on one’s practices.
The Eastern society has always viewed Nature to be something one can revere & celebrate with religious awe whilst with the exit of paganism & entry of Abrahamic faith the Western society’s focus changed into the perception that Nature is more utility prone.
ISSUE AT HAND
Climate change is having devastating effects in the ecosystem & depletion of resources are something that we as a race are struggling to fight. Our greed to extract more is something which is plaguing us the most. In such a scenario it becomes important for us to put the spotlight of our survival on the existence of Nature & natural resources.
In this VUCA world there is so much stress that we all trigger ready as a race to jump into the arms of depression & negative thoughts. In such a scenario we need to have an anchor that can tether us to the present & the positive.
SPIRITUAL NATURALISM – THE SOLUTION
In this context drawing a parallel between both Spirituality & Nature can help us view everything in a positive light ensuring that the philosophical practices of religion can be utilized in ensuring the active restoration of Nature.
This shall help us in our survival not just physically but also mentally since then we shall have a “way”, “path” & “principle” to focus our energy on, i.e., Nature.
For those who’s religious practices already encompass this fact, the switch shall be easier since ancient wisdom describes human beings as having five layers of experience: the environment, the physical body, the mind, the intuition and the spirit.
Nature thus can help elevate our consciousness & deepen our connection to the earth, allowing us to lead a happy life.
(The writer is an author and a storyteller)
